I can't figure out how it goes back together. The toaster lever wasn't working, so my wife took out the crumb tray and turned the toster upside down thing something was jammed. A long metal rod and long spring came out. I got the chrome cover off, but now I can't figure out how the toaster lever and other parts fit back together, and I still don't know where the long rod and spring came from.

How to Fix a Broken Toaster - For Dummies

www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-fix-a-broken-toaster.html

Toasters are uncomplicated appliances with heating elements, a thermostat, switches, and plugs and cords. ... If you get a shock when you touch the toaster, it's not grounded. ... What to do when your toast won't stay down ... Take off the carriagelever and front cover and look for a knob, screw, or nut located near the toast ...

How I fixed my toaster - YouTube

? 6:15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKiJkpuHy-Q
Feb 5, 2010 - Uploaded by paisteboy
Hey I know its been like 5 years since you posted this but how didyou get off the black knobs? I have a similar ... Thanks much - I shall try this on my mother-in-law's Oster toaster! ... But now that side won't stay down, so what to do? .... About · Press · Copyright · Creators · Advertise · Developers · +YouTube.

Contacts may be coated with Burt oil, butter, other matter. When engaged, contacts aren't engaging.

Just fixed mine, shake the crumbs out really well, take tray out and clean it. If there is a large crumb (like fell out of mine after vigorous shaking) they get caught where the lever comes down. Worked like a charm after.

Be sure to unplug toaster first. While inverting your toaster, depress the toaster lever(s) and shake toaster to clear all bread crumbs. It can take up to several minutes of shaking to clear them completely, however, the key is to depress the toaster levers down at the same time. Also, remember to remove bread crumb trays and empty regularly, as the trays are too shallow and allow crumbs to build up quickly, thereby blocking the "locking mechanism" of the lever(s).

If after cleaning your toaster out thoroughly, the levers still won't remain depressed, try various outlets throughout your kitchen. Oftentimes, when one GFI (Ground Fault Indicator) trips, several outlets along the same circuit will also trip.

Also, there is a website called Manuals.com, which has a very good database of many manuals for various manufacturers and models of toasters, should all of the above efforts fail.

I did all of the above and fixed my toaster within five minutes. :- )

Good luck to you.

Yvonne

Unplug the toaster, turn upside down, and gently shake all crumbs out. There's been plenty of times when a stray raisin causes this problem!

Otherwise there may be a break in the element. In Australia toasters won't stay down unless the power is connected, and if there is a break in the element there won't be a continuous circuit.

We ran into the same problem today with our toaster. There was never a problem before I cleaned it--not only by sliding out the crumb drawer, but by turning it upside down to dislodge every last crumb. After that, It would not stay down when pushed down--and none of the buttons were functional.

My husband took the cover off and found that a magnet is what keeps the lever down when the toaster's on, and allows it to go back up when the toasting is done. It's an electro magnet that works only when the toaster is on. It seems that when I turned the unit upside down and rightside up again, crumbs landed on the magnet's contact plates (which are about 1/4" x 1/2") and would not allow the magnet to engage. Because the magnet wouldn't engage, the lever would not stay down, and the toaster shut off. Brush off the magnets, replace the cover and toast away!

We ran into the same problem today with our toaster. There was never a problem before I cleaned it--not only by sliding out the crumb drawer, but by turning it upside down to dislodge every last crumb. After that, It would not stay down when pushed down.

My husband took the cover off and found that a magnet is what keeps the lever down when the toaster's on, and allows it to go back up when the toasting is done. It's an electro magnet that works only when the toaster is on. It seems that when I turned the unit upside down and rightside up again, crumbs landed on the magnet's contact plates (which are about 1/4" x 1/2") and would not allow the magnet to engage. Because the magnet wouldn't engage, the lever would not stay down, and the toaster shut off. Brush off the magnets, replace the cover and toast away!

Black & Decker T4050 OptiToast 4-Slice and it will not stay down and heat either. However you can hold it down and then it will heat. I apparently has an electromagnet that is supposed to hold it down and it's not working. Any Suggestions?

You can fix this yourself by following these instructions. Unplug your toaster before proceeding!... Clean the toaster first. Turn the toaster upside-down and shake out the crumbs. Remove and clean the bottom crumb tray. 1. Unscrew the four Phillips head screws located in the corners of the bottom base. Remove the screws completely if possible. Do this over a cloth or newspaper - that way a stuck screw won't get lost if it falls out later. 2. With the toaster right-side up, pull off the wide toast lever knob. Do not remove the round adjustment knob (it will not come off from the outside) but make a mental note of what number (1-7) is showing at the knob's adjustment mark. 3. Carefully pry up the end of the case cover with the knob on it (don't pull on the "stop" button). When the knob's plastic shaft is clear of the circuit board, gently pull off the cover. 4. On the inner part of the circuit board you will see a black plastic "cam" surrounded by two sets of electrical contacts. Rotate the cam to open the contact points if necessary. Insert a thin nail file between the points and rotate the cam to trap the file between them, then scrub back and forth several times to clean the contact points. Do this for each contact on both sides of the cam. When finished, rotate the cam clockwise so it is all the way back down to it's original position. 5. To make re-assembly easier, remove the round adjustment knob from the cover by depressing the half-round shaft flanges inside the cover with your fingernails. 6. Re-assemble the toaster by reversing steps 1 & 2. Replace the knobs, making sure that the round one is in the same position you noted earlier before you push it all the way down.